188rhenium-TDD-lipiodol in treatment of inoperable primary hepatocellular carcinoma--a case report.

INTRODUCTION The aim of this study was to investigate the potential of using 188Re Lipiodol for selective internal radiation therapy of inoperable hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC). CLINICAL PICTURE A 33-year-old female with poorly-differentiated multicentric HCC, elevated alpha-fetoprotein (AFP) and increased serum alkaline phosphatase. TREATMENT Over a 2-month interval, the patient was treated twice with 4GBq of 188Re-TDD-Lipiodol. OUTCOMES There was good localisation of 188Re Lipiodol in the tumours, but also in thyroid (first treatment) and gastrointestinal tract (both treatments). So far (5 months post-treatment), the patient remains well with stable disease. CONCLUSIONS 188Re Lipiodol can be an effective radiopharmaceutical for the treatment of HCC; however, more work must be done to minimise the uptake in bowel.